Along with the microminiaturization of electronic devices, the technique of assembling a large number of miniature devices (for example, thermoelectric devices and light emitting diodes (LED)) on a substrate to form an integral module has attracted increasing attention. Particularly, a self-assembly technique is highly demanded.
On the other hand, energy recycling has become one of the most important global issues due to petroleum crisis and global warming. Among all energy recycling techniques, thermoelectric devices which convert temperature differences to electric voltages can be used for recycling energy such as waste heat produced by boilers or waste heat in our daily life, and therefore are considered a new technique with great potential. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a thermoelectric module. The thermoelectric module 1 is constructed by assembling a large number of p-type thermoelectric devices 3 and n-type thermoelectric devices 4. Some conventional self-assembly techniques assist the assembly through liquid surface tension. Besides, some other self-assembly techniques even require the shapes or surfaces of the devices to be specially processed.
Several existing device self-assembling methods will be listed below.
A method and an apparatus for aligning and assembling micro-devices are provided. The method includes providing a carrier having a plurality of joints and forming a coating over the joints. In this patented technique, the micro-devices are automatically aligned by using droplets.
An apparatus and a method of positioning a micro-device on a substrate are also provided. In this technique, the micro-device is moved to a convex structure formed on the substrate through the surface tension of a droplet.
A method of aligning and assembling thin-film thermoelectric devices is further provided. In this technique, a lubricant containing carbohydrate is formed on joints of a substrate, and micro-devices are automatically aligned through the hydrophilic and hydrophobic characteristics of the lubricant and the carbohydrate.